Magic Origins is the 17th Magic core set. At the time of its release, it was thought to be, and marketed as, the last core set. It was grouped as a two-set block with Dragons of Tarkir for the purposes of Standard rotation under the Two-Block Paradigm. It was released on July 17, 2015. The set was strongly integrated with its digital counterpart Magic Duels: Origins.
Magic Origins was announced February 8, 2015 during Pro Tour Fate Reforged. The set contains 272 cards, which is 3 more than the current default for large sets (101 Commons, 80 Uncommons, 55 Rares, 16 Mythic Rares, 20 Basic Land). An additional 16 cards appear in the sample decks (7 Common, 4 Uncommon, 5 Rare). As a first since Alpha, this Core Set features two new mechanics. R&D considers Magic Origins not to be the "last core set", but a "new beginning" relating to the start of the Two-Block Paradigm and a new treatment of the storyline. The latter involves telling coherent, in-depth stories about the characters and carrying those out over story arcs across multiple sets. To enable this storytelling, there are more new cards in this set than in previous Core Sets. More than ever, Magic Origins is strongly integrated with its digital counterpart, Magic Duels. We see the main characters depicted before and after their planeswalker's spark ignites. The design of the cards and mechanics mirrors this for the players, as a kind of "leveling up" to their full potential. This is achieved by double-faced cards with one side featuring a legendary creature, and the other side featuring its planeswalker incarnation. The basic lands feature basic land art from all the planes which are included in the set. Some are recreations of original artworks from those sets, showing the passage of time.